Travels, and makes stuff.

Longbeach, MS: Back from Gulf Wars

I’m back from Gulf Wars and I’m staying with a friend in Longbeach, MS until my flight leaves tomorrow.

I HAD A GREAT TIME…

…despite the cold and the rain and the sick. Yes, I was sick most of the time, but that didn’t stop me from having a good time. I’m surprised by how much I was out of my tent and ambulatory…and I don’t know where to start. I’ll try to briefly recap my activities:

Monday – arrived, set up camp, went to jam at Al Mahala and met lots of other wonderful musicians and dancers there and was impressed by their setup. They have a huge dance tent, covered with carpets and pillows, with plenty of room for musicians, dancers and spectators to lounge and have a good time.

Tuesday – made a run into town for supplies. It rained a lot. I was so pleased with how my tent held up. It kept all my stuff very dry. We stayed in because of the rained and just chatted in our tents.

Wednesday – the sick got the best of me and I spent most of the day and night in bed. I don’t feel like I missed much, though, because it was so cold and still damp and muddy that there wasn’t much going on. Bringing those rubber boots was a good idea because I used them!

Thursday – felt better, well enough to watch the hounds coursing and some of the equestrian activities, and walk around the market place. It was still really cold, even during the day. You’ll see when I post my photos how everyone is bundled up.

Friday – was the Known World party, but I didn’t feel like going. Instead I hung out at Al Mahala and jammed with Denys and the others. It was good to play with other musicians finally, after a long hiatus. I struggled to remember a lot of the songs, and Denys taught me some new ones, and I managed to pull a few new ones out of my hat as well (played songs that I heard from memory). I sang Bir Demet Jasemen, and then Denys took over the melody on his flute, and shortly after that, a lord came up to me and said that I just gave him “a gulf wars moment”–he really liked it. The next day, I visited him at his merchant’s booth and…

Saturday – …he and his wife were still gushing about my performance. I picked out two rings that I wanted to purchase from their booth and they wouldn’t take my money–they gifted them to me. That pretty much made my week. That, and Denys, and getting to spend lots of quality time with Jen, Gwladys, and Blue. They are the best campmates I could ever ask for. By this time, it warmed up, I was feeling better, and that evening, I went to the Seven Deadly Sins party at Marshin Fayne, and got mah groove on. That was the only real party I managed to make it to all week. I might have to elaborate on that a bit more in a friends-only post (wink-wink).

Sunday – broke down camp (it rained), lunch at the Waffle House, and made it back here and crashed. We all went down for a nap and I am just now waking up.

Today, I am going to hang out with Blue in Longbeach for a bit, then maybe we will meet Jen in the French Quarter and do some shopping. I’m glad I have this little bit of “decompression” time before returning to “reality,” but I can’t wait to see my kitties, and I miss my cruiser (the grimster), and my mommy, and my bro, and my friends. You are all going to get sick of hearing about Gulf Wars from me eventually.